As the U.S. Department of Justice embarks on a new series of listening sessions in Ferguson this week — in the wake of its recent report finding rampant racial bias in the city’s police department — we are reminded of the ways the Ferguson protests have forced us to imagine a new model of policing. Instead of criminalizing and undermining whole communities, this much-needed new model would create trust by genuinely serving and protecting them.

Ferguson-related protests of police misconduct have led to a general consensus about the need for civilian oversight of the St. Louis County police departments. This sign of progress comes after a decade of Charlie Dooley’s opposition to civilian oversight and no interest at all among the 58 municipal police agencies. Read more.

How We Went Wrong With Intelligence-Led Policing
January 3, 2015

By John Chasnoff

Why the current crisis in policing? Part of the answer is that social media has brought long-standing abuses to everyone’s attention. But it is also true that there has been a change in policing strategy since 9/11 that has accelerated the militarization of police and intensified policing’s disconnect from the community. Read more.

Colliding Viewpoints and Contradictory Functions of the Police State
December 11, 2014

By John Chasnoff

There are two ways that people think about police, and they butted heads December 8 at the second Ferguson Commission meeting.

First, there is the “serve and protect” view. From this vantage point, policing is a noble profession, entered into by those who want to help their community. Police catch the “bad guys,” putting themselves in danger to protect the innocent. This is the image police have of themselves. Chief Dotson began his Ferguson Commission presentation with an ode to this model of policing. The crowd could not contain itself with rage and indignation. Read more.